Ok guys, my hubbie the bow hunter got a deer last fall and I have one loin roast left. I got a recipe from a gal in St Thomas that sounds kinda different, but she had never steered me wrong yet so I am going to try it. It requires a Burgundy wine for cooking. I usually drink the same or similar wine with the meal as I used in the prep of the meal. However, the chances of me being able to find and afford a good Burgundy are pretty slim. So what would be some alternatives?? the recipe contains onion, garlic, bay and juniper berries also. This venison, because we kept it very cool and had it processed and frozen quickly, and because it is basically corn fed deer (a doe at that)it is quite mild and not overly gamey as some I have had in restaurants.

I'd go to something like Syrah/Shiraz (Geyser Peak?) or Petite Sirah (David Bruce or Concannon "Livermore") or maybe Sebastiani Barbera. None of which are so expensive as to break you if you cook with them and all of which would handle the strong venison flavors better than would Pinot.

I recently had Ferrari-Carano "Tresor" Reserve (a very intense Meritage) with farm-raised venison loin chops and it was a killer combination...but it's $55 per bottle.

Well I would never use a very expensive wine to cook with, but I always like to drink a similar wine to the one I cooked with. And I would consider drinking an expensive one. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] I like the ideas you two suggested also. I will keep these in mind because my hubbie is already gearing up for next hunting season!
Nancy

I'll play devil's advocate here. Venison , at least for my palate, does NOT require some bruiser red to accompany it. I love venison, eat it every chance that I get, and a mid-weight Pinot Noir is my favorite choice. Mount Eden works very well, as does Chehalem Ridgecrest.

I think for this last roast from the doe I am going to try the pinot, just because it is very mild meat. (very similar to fresh pork actually) Now in the fall if my husband gets that big buck that has been roaming the woods around here, that will be a whole different story. If you get a 3-4 year old buck, it is going to stronger flavored meat than this young doe no matter how quickly you dress it.